what I'm making right now...

Four years ago, when I innocently started blogging about food and posting my own stories and recipes, I wasn't much of a soup aficionado. Like most of you, I assumed it was a difficult process even though everyone said it was easy. I heard the words mire poix, and layering flavors and began to panic.And when I was twelve, I worried that my first kiss would be a disaster.

I was wrong on all accounts.

Cajun Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Stew

Few things are easier, as versatile, or provide the opportunity for so much creativity than soups or stews. Warm, slurpable, spicy or mild, chunky or smooth; they're all part of my most favorite moments in the kitchen. It helps me transition from warm months to cold by allowing one to hunker over a stoneware bowl with intention and love, and begin to long for the hearth, instead of the beach.

Here I share FOUR new creations. All of them easy, all tested by my panel of happy tasters, (which is everyone so far...) All here for you:

1. Cajun Apple Chicken Sausage and Sweet Potato Stew

Cajun seasonings and pre-cooked apple chicken sausage set the stage for a quick stew that's ready almost as soon as the pan heats up! Taking advantage of lots of kitchen staples, and my favorite seasoning blend, we amped up the satisfaction quotient by serving it over jasmine rice.

Chop and prep all ingredients. In a large stew pot heat the oil to medium high. Add the onion and celery, and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the sweet potato and sauté for about 4 minutes. Deglaze with the orange juice and stir in well, letting it simmer for a minute or so. Add about 1 t of salt and pepper and blend. Add the Cajun seasoning, being generous with measurements. Stir. Then add the stock and stir. Let come to low boil. Stir in the brown sugar, nestle in the whole stalks of thyme, and then add a bay leaf. Let simmer on low, but still bubbling, for about 40 minutes. Remove lid and stir in sausage, let bubble for about another 10 minutes. I add the sausage last so it doesn’t shrivel up and get too cooked. While stew is cooking, make the rice. You can make more if you’d like. When the stew is done, remove the thyme sprigs and the bay leaf. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls over the rice, or serve without rice if preferred.

2. Greek Lemon and Chicken Soup

Inspired by a MyRecipes.com soup recipe that thickens the broth to silken perfection by adding a beaten egg and lemon juice into the soup at the last minute, this was a definite winner. Oh. My. Goodness. I was crazy about anything lemony. Now I'm truly bonkers over it.

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add garlic, carrots, and leek to pan; cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes or until vegetables are aromatic. Add chicken stock to vegetables and increase heat to medium-high; bring to a boil. Add rice and reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is nearly done, about 20 minutes.

Whisk together lemon juice and eggs in medium bowl. Slowly pour in a ladle of hot broth into egg mixture, adding another 3 or 4 ladles, whisking constantly. Then pour egg mixture back into pan, stirring with whisk. Add dill, spinach, chicken, and salt; allow spinach to wilt and soup to heat back up, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with black pepper, if desired. Serve.

3. Mediterranean Curry Beef​and Butternut Squash Soup with Kale

Distinct flavors, tender beef, and the sweetness of butternut squash make this soup unique and satisfying. A dash of kale at the end will mitigate your guilt factor, although this is a pretty healthy soup! Just give yourself a couple hours, of which most is simmering, and you'll be happy, warm and smiling.

Chop and prep all ingredients so you’re ready to add everything as needed. In a large stew pot heat the oil to medium high. Add the onion and the stew meat adding a little salt and pepper; about 1 t salt and ½ t pepper. Cook until edges or browned, about 2-3 minutes. Add the squash and ginger, and stir. Then add the stock. Then the fresh thyme and fresh rosemary, the curry, and the ground ginger. Then add the cinnamon, cardamom, coriander and cumin. Bring to simmering boil, then reduce heat, cover and let cook for about 1 hour, checking often to make sure it’s not boiling too vigorously. About 5 minutes before it’s done, add the kale and stir in and let simmer. Then after 5 minutes of simmer, turn off heat and taste to add salt and pepper until properly seasoned. Mix the corn starch with about ¼ C water, and whisk. Then add to the stew, stirring to help it thicken slightly.

4. Spicy Maple Baked Bean and Hamburger Soup

The irresistible sweetness of maple baked beans spiked with red pepper jelly. The comforting flavor of hamburger and good ol' mire poix. The thrill of it all in one bite! It takes so little time that it's best if you just appear exhausted when you serve it to your guests. They'll think you slaved away for hours...silly guests.

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven until hot. Add the mire poix, and cook until onions are slightly translucent. About 3 – 4 minutes. Add the hamburger and break up just a little. Cook with the vegetables until meat is cooked. Add the red pepper jelly, brown sugar, and salt and pepper. Stir and combine and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add the cans of beans, the water and nestle in a sprig of thyme. Bring to simmer, cover and let cook for an hour, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn on the bottom. Remove thyme sprigs and serve with crusty bread.

It was 39 degrees F this morning. 39, people. Two days ago the high was 89! I don't know if I should buy sandals or gloves. There is one decision, however, that is easy to make this time of year. And that is that soup fits when autumn comes along in her indecisive, but beautiful way.

Check out the dual bowl poetry below, with recipes at the end of each feature!

I'm going to share two one-pot meals in this post. One is vegetarian but exceedingly meat friendly. It's that beautiful, golden bowl of fall harvest color you see above. Butternut squash is the star as it floats in a lovely broth surrounded by two kinds of mushrooms and hearty wild rice. I just love when you get your Dutch oven out, prep your ingredients, and the kitchen does not look like you've exploded a shopping cart because it all happens IN ONE PAN. This was fast, bright, fresh and perfect for falling into fall. It took about 30 minutes to make. That means that hungry and confused diners can be eating in no time. And you can be nourishing them without a lot of fuss.

I served it with this a spinach salad adorned with jumbo shrimp, San Marzano tomatoes and a lime, cilantro vinaigrette. But you could just as easily add some chicken to this soup and have it represent the whole meal. Or add veal. Or even hamburger if you have a carnivorous bunch. A dash of bright parsley keep the spoons full and coming back for more.

In a large Dutch oven pan, heat the butter and oil. Add the mushrooms and onions and cook on high until browned, about 3 minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Add the can of corn, the stock, the wine, the seasonings, and stir until bubbling. Add the squash, the lemon, and the rice. Lower heat, cover and let lightly bubble for 20 minutes, or until rice is done and squash is soft. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. (I ended up using probably 1 t at least of kosher salt and ½ t black pepper.) Stir in the parsley, serve!

*I used a jasmine and wild rice medley that said 20 minutes cooking time. But I find that some wild rice medleys take MUCH longer. If your rice package says it takes longer, start the rice and don’t add the squash until you are about 20 minutes away from the soup being ready to serve.**Duxelles is an herb medley with a mushroom base that can be found at specialty stores. The deep, earthy sweet flavor is what really makes this soup memorable. I bought mine at Savory Spice Shop®. I encourage you to find and use it often! It SINGS in deviled eggs!!!

Warm, Fast, Fun Food 2: Italian Meatball, Vegetable Stew

You see it, don't you. This is REAL food. Potatoes, carrots, onions and yes, Brussel sprouts. All swimming in a deep, dark, savory gravy. And crowned with the greatest comfort of all, Italian sausage meatballs. But when you bite into it, there's another bit of spice that absolutely makes every flavor more real and more exciting. And that is the addition of a bit of Singapore Seasoning from Penzys Spices. Which is a sophisticated blend utilizing the Chinese 5-Spice medley but deeper, more savory, more perfect.

In a large glass bowl combine the sausage, egg, cream, dried oregano and about 1 t salt and ¼ t black pepper, and combine. Add the breadcrumbs and combine. Mixture should stick together nicely but not be too dry. Form into small meatballs, set aside. In a large saucepan, heat the 2 T oil. Add the meatballs and cook by browning on both sides for about 3-4 minutes but NOT cooking them all the way through. Remove, cover meatballs.

In the same saucepan, add the onions, carrots, brussel sprouts, potatoes, and Penzy’s seasoning, along with a little salt. Stirfry on medium high until the carrots begin to soften. Then add the stock, and stir until bubbling, reducing slightly. Mix the flour with a little water, whisking to smooth the flour into the water. Remove pan from heat and stir in the flour mixture, using a large spoon to move the roux through the stock until it thickens. It shouldn’t be too thick at this point and it will tighten as it finishes cooking. Now add the meatballs back in, and let it bubble for about another 4 minutes until meat is cooked through.

Serve in bowls with your choice of bread.

*If you buy a pre-made beef stock, the saltiness may vary. Taste often throughout the process for proper seasoning.​

Served with quick rolls and garnished with Serrano peppers and parsley

We live in a world of excess, and the items that fit into this category are unending: Baggage, water weight, gas, even drama. There's always more than we need of so many things. That is, except for excess space, excess tax credits, or excess sleep. Especially sleep.It makes it worth mentioning that even when you purchase a package of dried beans, excess abounds there as well in the form of 15 Bean Soup Medley. Do they really have to shove 15 kinds into the package? Huh? Who sorts these little suckers? Is someone demoted if the black eyed peas are missing, of if a yellow lentil instead of a green one slips in? And those massive butter beans? They're kinda awkward for starters. Where is the poetry? The meaning of it all? Oh, the humanity!!! Ahem, sorry. While musing on the plight of medley-bean-packers, I politely placed them in water as directed - of course, that's after rinsing out the little pieces that float to the top; of which appears to be excess ick - and waited. You see, beans need to be under water, for nearly a day to become anything. I was destined to while away a lot of excess time.After soaking them lovingly for 24 hours, I began to become attached to my spotted and marbled orbs, and resolved rather boldly, that each of them deserved a first class cooking experience. And that's when I knew I had to make an international incident out of my excessive bean medley and therefore created my "I've BEAN Everywhere Bean and Sausage Stew." Through the combination of rather pungent and well traveled spices, I was able to blend everything in a way that just brought out the mature smokiness and velvety mouth feel of the beans. Each one, like the gem on a Tiffany necklace, sparkled perfectly alone and also brilliantly together, and became the meal that not only had been everywhere in terms of ingredients, but belonged everywhere, too. Cumin, Cinnamon, Coriander and Paprika were indistinguishable alone, and yet, even with the few drops of liquid smoke added, they bound together so perfectly I might just take this show on the road. Anyone know of any excess money?I should also tell you I served them with these very moist, fast and easy rolls I got from my Paula Deen recipe book. ENJOY!

Meet the Cook...

My name is Camine Pappas and I love to create beautiful and delicious food that anyone can make. My signature style centers around a love for combining things in a way you might not expect as I work to find a hidden combination of colors, textures and flavors from the things that are in my pantry and/or easy to obtain.

Want to get spontaneous with me? It's pretty exciting. Let's all find out what happens when, "I Feel Like Cooking."